Brilliantly crystal clear, deep amber appearance. The body was capped by a near two-finger tall, tight and creamy, off-white crown that quickly fell to a thin cap. Minimal lacing.

The nose was very malt forward. Loads of dense, biscuity malts. Somewhat doughy. Quite sweet. There was a generic fruity quality and a bit of steeliness as well. No hop presence whatsoever.

The flavor profile mimicked the aroma but had a slight hoppy quality. Caramel and biscuity malts dominated. Very bready. Fairly sweet. Some hops kicked in on the back end. The hops were citrusy and tried to fight their way through all the malty sweetness, but they ultimately came up short. Hint of orange perhaps. The beer finished with more near cloying malty notes. Malt extract came to mind.

I happened to get one of the cool retro bottles of this with a nice message from 1986 about the origins of this "first beer in decades to be brewed and bottled right here in Boston." That aside, something about this just seemed "off." Though American pale ales have changed (improved) considerably in the last 30 years, I still expected something more akin to a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale than an English-style malt bomb. I feel bad slamming a classic offering by a brewery for which I have tremendous respect but, for the style, this beer is pretty terrible.

L-The beer pours a clear light amber. The head is bright white and one finger high. The head recedes leaving spotty lacing and some legs while drinking.
S-The nose starts with some malty notes transitioning into some spicy hop notes.
T-The taste mimics the nose exactly in that the malt hits the palate first followed by spicy hops.
F-Carbonation is fairly light, but crisp. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side.
O- BA lists this as an APA, but Harpoons website lists it as an amber which is more in line with the color. This beer is very tame by todays standards. Still their is something in its balance and light mouthfeel that really appeals to me as a session beer that can be consumed in quantity without palate fatigue setting in. It's worth a trip down craft beer memory lane.

Apparently this has been out of production for a few years but they're giving it a limited re-release in honor of it's 30th anniversary. That's good. Something about the loss of original flagships upsets me. I mean, it probably shouldn't, but it does. I really wish I could try 3 Floyds old X-tra Pale, or the original Rogue Ale, even though I know full well they probably wouldn't hold up too great. Like, they're off the market for a reason, right?

Anyhow, Harpoon Ale fit the mold of stuff like New Albion--old timey craft beers that were mindblowing in the early-to-mid 80s but are now the lightest-flavored offering at any craft brewer. Pours amber and clear with a nice head. Smells biscuity with just a little kiss of spicy hops. Tastes like the smells: bread, biscuits, very light hops. American ingredients but British modesty, very tame by today's standards but still excellently balanced and very well brewed.

Harpoon Ale is the oldest in the offerings (since 1986) at the breweries both in Windsor and Boston. At one point a flagship of the company now is an old time favorite of guests and employees alike. You can't buy this beer off the shelves, but they are available in growlers at either brewery.

A- Light Orange with high clarity, almost no head.
S- Mild hops and a kiss of hops that finishes fruity but not quite citrus.
T- Crisp but not sharp flavor that doesn't linger long, the flavor hinges on the pale malt which some would say should be secondary to the hops, but I find it makes the beer much more sessionable.
M- Carbonation is higher than desirable and doesn't do anything to further the passive scents lingering in the nose.

Medium bodied with a good balance of earthy hops and biscuit malt flavor. I'm also picking up hints of grass and straw as well as some citrus/lemon peel and crisp, light fruit notes(apple and pear). Slight dry finish. Nothing special but a decent sessionable beer.

Served in a tulip glass. Pours a golden amber color. White head without too much lacing but a decent amount of retention time. The nose is some light malt with a bit of caramel and bread. There are some light citrus and floral hops there as well. Taste is a bit bland with some bready malt, faint hops, and a bit of yeast. Decent body and carbonation. Nothing wrong with this beer, but a bit bland and I know that they can do better.

This beer has an aroma of malt and citrus. This beer is malty through out and finishes with a slight hop bitterness. This beer become slightly harsh across the tongue. It has a amber color with good lacing. I wanted more from this pale it is more of an English style pale then an American pale.

Grabbed a bottle of this while visiting the brewery in Boston. The style of this beer is what you would expect based on the history of the beer. Nothing very distinct about the beer, but very drinkable. Poured into a pint glass.

This beer has been around for more than 20 years and it never gets old. In the Boston beer sweepstakes, this is the hands down favorite over SA. This is the type of take-for-granted beer that I've had tons of but just realized that I've never written a review for the beer. It is a well deserved brew worthy of a good review. It pours a nice clear coppery color with plenty of carbonation. The head is nice, retains fairly well, and laces a bit. The nose on the beer is buttery, floral, very malty, with a touch of diacetyl, but just a touch.

This is a nice smooth, well balanced beer with a nice hop presence in the finish, a nice malty palate of light caramel and floral flavors and a bit of yeasty presence. The beer is neither crisp nor creamy, but just very well situated between the two. It has a slight buttery taste, is a touch oily on the tongue, and has a mild aftertaste. The beer is nicely carbonated. This is a go-to beer anytime of year.

A: Deep amber color with a thin white head that leaves little to no lacing on the glass.

S: I'm getting a sweet aroma, some caramel, citrus and honey... with a hint of floral like hops.

T: Taste is much like the smell but the citrus is missing.... The sweetness is all over at the first taste.... near the end is a nice hit of hoppy bitterness that balances out the sweetness.. The aftertaste has a slightly sweet maltyness.... Very nice..

M: Very smooth yet crisp, has med body, just the right amount of carbonation and a clean finish.

D: I'm not a big APA kind of guy but this stuff is tasty. everything is bang on. It goes down very easily, pretty complex and not to over powering.... Could be a great session beer !

pours a nice hefty head...nice lacing and a head that retains for a good while...after 10 minutes, it's surface lace.

smells of slight sweet malt, more like an english pale...nutty fresh nose that doesn't suggest much hoppiness. a good sniff later and i get something like...bananas?

wow. ok, i thought maybe i had one of these years ago...but i would remember this fresh, full-bodied taste of malts and some hoppy flash. an american version of an extremem emglish pale...or lighter IPA...sort of. another sip and i get some mystical english/caramel tone. a very unique flavor that is also rather traditional, drinkable (highly), thanks to the wonderful, creamy (not quite chewy) mouthfeel.

i really like this but i can see after 3 or 4, i might focus on the sweetness...the hops are always lurking in the background, but i would need a hop fix before long.

all in all, a VERY WELL BALANCED brew.

a very sturdy, admirable brew. will not think twice about reaching for one if available.

A - Good color, nice light honey-ish amber. Head was small and didn't last at all. Tried to leave a a little lacing from the tiny ring of head at first, but even that didn't last. Really should be more head on an APA than this.

S - Not bad. Lots of malts and yeast smell though and could use more hops to balance.

T - This is below average for me. Very yeast and to much malt. This beer desperately craves hops. Falls far short of what I expect from something that is supposed to be in the APA category. Aftertaste, bleh! Very yeasty and becomes somewhat mettalic the longer it lingers.

M - Mouthfeels pretty good here. Nice body and carbonation levels.

D - Not very drinkable for me. One is definitely enough, the yeastiness of this one just gives and aftertaste that is pretty unpleasant to me.

I'm not impressed at all with this beer. Maybe this is a bad batch or something. I can only hope. Very yeasty taste and little hop flavor at all. I feel kinda like I'm drinking liquified bread. I have liked other beers from this brewer so far. 2 left in the variety pack to try, I hope no more are this big of a let down.

Apperance: Pours a golden amber color, with very little whitish head. Appears to have good carbonation.

Smell: A malty, bready nose with a bit of sweetness. Very slight hint of fruits and the hops.

Taste: Very malty and bready, with little sweetness. Good amount of bitterness and not much to balanced Hops aren't really there. The bitterness tends to linger in the mouth. Too malty for me in an ale.

Mouthfeel: Thin to medium bodied, and decently filling.

Drinkability: A very malty ale, which is not my type of thing. Might be better with food, but not for just savoring.